After bringing out one of my albums of the year in 2006, I was excited to see Neko Case on our humble shores this February. I managed to bag one of the remaining 20 tickets to her gig at the Spanish Club and I have to say it was more than worth the effort.
It was a bit of a night for 'girls and guitars' at the Spanish Club - with local songstress Emily Ulman starting off the night with a collection of her own well crafted songs. Her voice is sweet and silky (reminding me quite a lot of Taasha Coates from The Audreys) and the lyrics are beautiful, but there's still a step up to make in the arrangement before she becomes amazing. The crowd, whilst appreciative, let her slide very much into the background, which is probably not where she belongs.
In contrast Neko Case is not someone who can/will ever disappear into the background. From the moment she opened her mouth with Widows Toast to the final notes of the encore she captivated the audience with 'that' voice. Together with her band (and the honey voiced Kelly Hogan) Neko filled the room with beauty and strength. The mood was upbeat, jokey and fun - despite the soaring temperatures in the small room. Even the buckets of ice they were brought couldn't have made things easier for the guys up on the stage, but they soldiered on regardless without losing any of the energy that makes them so fun to see.
There was ample space for favourites old and new - letting her amazing vocal range show itself in full glory. Neko is a petite and unassuming woman but the sound that comes out of her mouth is so powerful and enveloping that you can't help being taken away to another place. Every song was amazing, but everyone has their favourite so I was particularly happy to be treated to wonderful renditions of Teenage Feeling and Hold on, Hold on from Fox Confessor and the gorgeous Set out Running from Furnace Room Lullaby (a song which retains a special place in my heart
The only thing I fear is that the opportunity to see Neko in such an intimate space will soon be lost. It really is only a matter of time before everyone jumps on this bandwagon and realises what a amazing talent this woman is.
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